Create

I mentioned in my previous post that poetry has been a helpful part of my battle against
anxiety. The way that verse can expose the human condition at its most raw, in fleeting
rhymes, was one of the reasons I was drawn to the arts, despite my education being rooted
in science. Ive read quite a bit about the science behind medical treatment for neuroses,
such as TCAs, SSRIs and CBT, but there is still this disdain amongst the general public
towards non-scientific therapies. This may be the traditional conservatism of our society,
which fears the unknown, or perhaps a dogmatic worship of science as the sole harbinger of
cures. Either way, Ive found in art therapies a source of recovery, of safety from my darker
thoughts.
I am by no means a talented poet, nor the most creative type. However, like the
drunk man at your local karaoke bar who wails through love ballads every week, I
still enjoy it. For me, poetry is as much a challenge as it is therapeutic. To pluck
words from the air and arrange them into sentences which may evoke some feeling
(beyond disgust!) in whoever reads them, is bloody tough. But it truly helps, looking
back over even a simple haiku, and knowing Ive accomplished something.
Ive spoken to others suffering from mental health conditions, and it seems that art
therapies are surprisingly helpful*. One lady I chatted to used painting as a way to
engage her mind, and distract herself from negative thoughts. I recall a man with
bipolar schizophrenia who lectured us on the need for doctors to keep an eye on
their own mental health using performance therapy, by belting out poetry and pop
culture references to an audience of bleary-eyed students.
Im not saying throw away your medication, or stop talking to your counsellor. Quite
the opposite: if youre serious about beating your black dog or the suchlike, be ready
to try any and every form of treatment. You may not be the next Maya Angelou or
Picasso, but if it offers any respite, is it not worth trying?
(*NOTE: this is purely anecdotal, and will not be the case for everybody).